H+K pushes Duracell's power and endurance messages in Rugby World Cup tie-up

Duracell has signed up Welsh rugby captain Sam Warburton as a brand ambassador as it announces Duracell #PowerCheck, a stats service created in partnership with Opta Sports for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

Sam Warburton: Leads his country into its first World Cup match against Uruguay on 20 October

The #PowerCheck will track tackles, carries, turnovers won and discipline during each Rugby World Cup game, weighted towards players that remain on the pitch for longer to create a score out of 100 for each player.

Duracell's press office function is handled by Hill+Knowlton Strategies, and the agency also works for the tournament itself after winning a six-figure international brief in October 2013. The tournament kicks off on 18 October with England playing Fiji at Twickenham.

Alex Haslam, senior assistant brand manager for Duracell UK & Ireland, said: "Our Rugby World Cup campaign is all about two elements at the heart of Duracell as a brand – power and endurance. In the same way Duracell batteries work better and for longer than the competition, the Rugby World Cup forces players to put themselves to the test, having to overcome six weeks of gruelling action.

"Sam Warburton is exactly the type of player we had in mind when devising the #PowerCheck. The power that Sam has from the first minute to the last makes him the perfect ambassador for the #PowerCheck campaign."

Warburton himself said: "The untold story of power over a six-week tournament like the Rugby World Cup is the ability of players to keep going harder and longer than anyone else. This was one of the reasons that I was keen to work with Duracell on this campaign."